Prenatal acupuncture
Dr. rer. nat. Daniela Oesterle is a molecular biologist, human geneticist and trained medical editor. As a freelance journalist, she writes texts on health topics for experts and laypeople and edits specialist scientific articles by doctors in German and English. She is responsible for the publication of certified advanced training courses for medical professionals for a renowned publishing house.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Pre-birth acupuncture is one of the main areas of application for acupuncture in obstetrics. The aim of the Chinese healing method is to optimally prepare the pregnant woman physically and mentally for childbirth. Inserting the fine needles can stimulate labor, alleviate labor pains and shorten the labor process. Read more about antenatal acupuncture!
Birth preparation with acupuncture
Pregnancy is a sensitive phase for both mother and child. Many pregnant women therefore welcome the possibilities of alternative and complementary healing methods, for example when it comes to treating complaints. Acupuncture is a very popular complementary healing method. It has various uses in gynecology and obstetrics.
Specially trained and experienced experts use the needles in the early stages of pregnancy against back pain, anxiety or depression. Towards the end of pregnancy, antenatal acupuncture can help
- relieve fear of childbirth,
- trigger absent contractions,
- Reduce labor pain and / or
- to shorten the course of labor.
Fear of childbirth
Many pregnant women fear the pain of childbirth. Very strong fears can lead to psychological stress and impair natural labor. Pre-natal acupuncture can help pregnant women relax and reduce anxiety.
Labor pain and length of labor
Prenatal acupuncture can reduce the need for pain medication in women during childbirth. In addition, the duration of the opening labor (the labor that initiates labor) can be reduced from an average of ten to eight hours. In addition, antenatal acupuncture can help the cervix to become more flexible at the beginning of the birth, which means that the cervical maturation is improved. Overall, acupuncture preparatory to childbirth can apparently shorten the duration of childbirth.
Once the child has been born, the placenta still has to be excreted (afterbirth). Here acupuncture can support the detachment of the placenta and thereby prevent possible complications.
Absence of labor
If the due date is exceeded, an attempt can be made to induce labor by inserting the needles. Therapists also use acupuncture to induce labor in the event of premature rupture of the bladder.
Better recovery
According to the experience of experts, birth preparation using acupuncture has another advantage: physical recovery after the birth seems to be improved by the Chinese healing method. However, scientific studies on this are still lacking.
Prenatal acupuncture: process and side effects
As a rule, antenatal acupuncture is performed once a week for 20 to 30 minutes from the 36th week of pregnancy. Depending on the goal of the treatment, the fine needles are placed on different areas of the skin.
Acupuncture is one of the gentle procedures that have almost no side effects. In a few cases there is skin irritation or small bleeding at the injection site and slight dizziness (in women with poor circulation).
Nevertheless, the following applies: Only have antenatal acupuncture performed by an expert, i.e. a doctor, therapist and a midwife with special training in acupuncture.
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